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#i have not watched mha in months but i am still crazy for aoyama
funkybongos · 2 years
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the only mha characters that matter
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intheticklecloset · 3 years
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Filling Requests
I wish you guys could see the insane setup I have on my end to keep track of the 39 fics requested in the first two weeks of this year. It’s a biiit crazy, but I’m making it happen. Haha!
Real quick, I just wanted to let you know where I’m at in my progress of filling these requests. Obviously this week I was able to get out one a day because I was a bit ahead, so that really helped. Based on how things are going I think next week will be largely the same. Just to kind of give you an idea, this is how I’m hoping to be able to tackle things for the next month or so (as that’s literally how long it will take to get them all out):
Monday-Friday: Filling requests (hopefully I’ll be able to keep up this one-a-day thing I’ve managed this past week, but we’ll see)
Saturday: A fic I wanted to write on my own, not necessarily filling a prompt (I unintentionally did this for the past three Saturdays, but I kind of like having one day of the week be mine, to share other things I want to work on for myself)
Sunday: No fic releases. A day off for all involved. I’ll still be around, though, working behind the scenes and answering questions and whatever else.
If I’m able to keep up this pace (and I’ll try, but I make no promises), I should be finished filling everyone’s requests by February 20. I realize that’s four weeks from now but like...I got 39 requests, so...yeah. I’m doing my best. XD
As of today, I’ve posted 14/33 accepted requests, with one still pending. (To the Anon that wanted the Aoyama fic - I finally figured out how to make it happen, so it’s been accepted. Keep an eye out!)
I think that’s all I’ve got for now. While I’m writing these prompts for you (which I’m still thoroughly enjoying!), I am also watching some other anime in my down time to try and a) catch up with the rest of my friends who have already loved anime for a decade or more and b) have more fandoms to write for, because every fandom should have tickle fics!
I hope you’re enjoying the fics that I’ve released thus far, and I hope you’re not getting too overwhelmed by the sheer amount of MHA stuff I’m posting on a daily basis. I had no clue I’d get so many asks in two weeks. The more you know!
Have a good rest of your weekend!
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comicgeekscomicgeek · 3 years
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Chapter 75: Let’s Get This Show on the Road
Presenting the next installment of my on-going, nextgen, MHA fic! Earlier chapters can be found here
Some are mine, but a decent chunk of the 1-C kids in this chapter were created by tumblr user and number one fic fan on tumblr @uninvited-eon​
“Okay everyone, gather ‘round!”  Itsuka Tetsutetsu called out to her class.  Around the common room, the sixteen students of Class 1-C began to gather, some listlessly, some begrudgingly, but none of them eagerly. Her heart ached for them.  
Whereas Aizawa and Super-Ball’s classes had passed their Final Exam… her class had failed.
She felt a strong measure of guilt over that.  They were only the second group of students she’d shepherded through U.A. and she could not help but feel like she’d failed them somehow.  Had she not trained them well enough?  Had she not stressed the need for teamwork and cooperation, of thinking things through?  They’d all done well in their Heroics Class and two of them had even made it to the Tournament round of the Sports Festival.  And yet, when it had come down to it, victory had slipped from their grasp.  Aizawa and Fujii had both told her she wasn’t to blame, as had her husband, but she still felt the sting of failure.  She’d already vowed to do better by her kids.  She’d already been working on new ideas for the next term.  
“Yes, Sensei?” Yoru Kan, tall, buff, and pale, asked from her spot on one of the couches.  It was strange to think her old teacher had a daughter the same age as Itsuka’s own child, but such was life sometimes.
“I know you’re all upset about not getting to go to the Training Camp with the other classes,” Itsuka said.
Ichigo Minoru, the lion-like Class Representative, growled.  “We should have done better.”
This earned him a glare from the pink-haired Momoko Hohki, who blew a gum-bubble generated by her Quirk, popping it noisily.  “You want to say that again, Fuzzball?” The two had never really gotten along.  Hohki had… issues with authority.
“I’m just saying we could have done better,” Minoru said.  He held up furry hands.  She knew he bore the loss heavily as well, taking it quite personally.  He was brave and selfless, but he had to be wondering if his leadership skills hadn’t been up to snuff.  “That’s all.”
“I think we all know who screwed up,” Kan said gruffly, crossing her arms.  
Ayahiko Akiyama pushed his glasses up, the red frames standing out against skin that was even paler than Kan’s.  “Well, it sure wasn’t me.”   His color-manipulating Quirk had been useful during the exam, unleashing wildly shifting color patterns to disorient some of their foes, but the lack of responsibility was typical too.  She and the other teachers hadn’t been able to get him to step up just yet.  They were giving it time, but he’d either shape up for ship out.
“Like hell it wasn’t,” Reiki Akamatsu snapped, the green quills along her head bristling.  “You and Enoshima both!  Throwing up your damn light shows so we couldn’t see!”
Hitomi Enoshima, whose Kaleidoscope Vision Quirk made looking her in the eyes dangerous, took offense with that.  “I told you to get out of the way!  Not my fault you didn’t listen!”
“Shouting “get out of the way, losers!” doesn’t count as telling people to get out of the way,” Kin Shiji snapped.  The parts of his face that weren’t patches of metallic gold were flush with irritation.
“Can we… can we not fight?” Shika Mizuno asked.  The antlered girl bowed her head and closed her eyes.  She was gentle and soft-spoken, reminding Itsuka very much of her friend and former classmate Komori.  Trying to play peacemaker when the more outspoken members of the class fought was common for her.
Unfortunately, Mizuno’s words did little to quell the arguments brewing.  Sides were taken, insults shouted, and things started getting loud very quickly.  
Employing her Quirk, Itsuka enlarged her hands and brought them together in a singular clap that resonated throughout the room.  It left some of the Class holding their ears, especially the lion-like Minoru and the bear-like Tsukiko Kuma.  But it did its job and silenced them all for a moment.  
“Sorry about that,” she said, reducing the size of her hands back to normal.  “But I could tell that was going to get ugly.  And fighting amongst yourselves is part of why you failed the exam.”  There had been so much arguing, so many strong-willed hot heads in her class determined to do things their own way.  They’d gotten in each other’s way during the exam, hadn’t coordinated properly, and ultimately the faux-Villains had gotten away with their target.  
“You’ve got potential,” she said.  “I believe in you.  But there’s a lot we need to work on.  Which is why, while the other Hero classes are at their Training Camp, we’re going to be having one here at the USJ.  Water Spout, Doc Clock, and I will be putting you through your paces from pretty much sunup to sundown, with a particular focus on teamwork and collaboration.”
She frowned.  “Failing your exam is a big deal.  But it’s one you can come back from, with hard work. I believe in all of you.  Which is why I also arranged for some extra help with your additional training.”
At that, the doors burst open.  “Woooo!  Who’s ready for some training?!”
Itsuka pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Tetsu, I told you to wait outside until I texted you.”
Her husband blushed and smiled sheepishly.  “Sorry, ‘suka.  Got done dropping Kana off and got bored… figured you’d be ready by now.”
It was going to be a long two weeks.
***
Nearly all of Class 1-A and Class 1-B had already assembled by the time Katsumi arrived.  She’d been rather insisted that she and Dad not arrive together.  It was going to be enough of a pain having him as one of her teachers, but she could live with that.  This was a practical matter of asserting her own independence.  And there was some small part of her that wanted to take in everyone’s reactions when they found out about him.  Maybe she ought to get her phone ready.  Depending on how people reacted, she could get a new ringtone out of it.
Izzy gave her a polite nod as she approached.  “It is good to see you, Katsumi,” she said.
“Good to see you too, Iz,” she replied.  Thoughts of her dad’s promise to push all of them hard ran though her mind.  She’d spent years thinking of Izzy as fragile and in need of protection.  Even if the last few months of U.A. had told her otherwise, her first instinct was always going to be to protect her friend.   Even if she and Iz weren’t romantically compatible, she loved her still, as the most important person in her life.  “All set for roughing it?”
Izzy closed her eyes and nodded.  “I believe so,” she said.  “My parents were concerned, of course, but ultimately convinced that I would be in good hands.”
Of course they were. Katsumi nearly rolled her eyes. Izzy’s parents were crazy protective sometimes.  Nearly all the time, actually.  She’d have thought they’d have learned by now.   Best not to think about it, it would just make her angry.
“Any idea where they’re taking us?” she asked instead.  Even without Villains after the Hero classes, U.A. had stopped publicizing the location of its Training Camps years ago.  It was a lot safer that way.  Not that she’d been able to get anything out of Dad.  He’d cited “tradition” as being the reason he couldn’t tell her.  She was also sure getting on her nerves was also one of the reasons.
Izzy shook her head. “I am afraid I have no idea.  We shall just have to see.”
Katsumi just laughed. “Ah, well.  Worth a shot.”
In the meantime, she could see the Class Representatives making the rounds, with Toshi and Tokyami talking to the members of their class, and Kana and Awase talking to theirs. She could see Aizawa too, off to the side and in consultation with 1-B’s teacher, Super-Ball.  She couldn’t hear what was being said, but Aizawa was giving the rubber-bodied Hero a death glare and looking like he wanted to be absolutely anywhere else on the planet.  Super-Ball was talking animatedly and occasionally elbowing Aizawa in the side. Given what she’d heard about Super-Ball, her sympathy was entirely with Aizawa.  
“Five hundred yen says Aizawa wraps his head up to stop him from talking,” she said to Izzy.
Izzy shook her head again. “What is it you would say? “That’s a sucker’s bet?’”
Katsumi laughed again. “You are listening.”  She doubted Izzy had ever seen that small an amount of money in her life anyway.
Around them, most of the class was in its usual friendship groups.  She could see Shinso babbling to Haimawari, who was indulging the hyperactive, purple-haired kid, nodding occasionally at whatever he was going on about. Sero, Sato, and Ojiro were talking as always, probably discussing content for their damned web show. The Iida twins and the new girl with the wings, Kocho, were watching the discussion with something somewhere between amusement, fascination, and confusion.  Mineta was talking to Koda, while Aoyama and Shoji stood a little bit apart from the rest of the class.  One person she did notice was missing though.  It wasn’t until she looked around until she noticed…
“Hey, Iz?” Katsumi asked.
“Yes?”
“Why the hell is Kaminari hanging out with Monoma?”  Izzy was friends with the electric dumbass.  There was a decent chance she’d known what was going on.  
“I cannot say,” Izzy told her.  
“But you know,” she pressed.  
“Chihiro has asked that I not speak of it.”
“…What.”
***
“What?” Chihiro asked, as Monoma slipped the bracelet around her wrist.  It had been made in the kumihimo style, she could tell, yellow with just a little bit of black in it, like her hair.  She wasn’t sure they were at the gift-giving stage of… whatever it was exactly they were doing.   They’d gone out once.  
Which had been nice, she actually had to admit.  Nothing fancy, just a walk and some ice cream, but he’d turned out to be surprisingly good company.  When he wasn’t being a competitive asshole or didn’t have Kirishima-Bakugo around to rile him up, he could actually be a decent guy, and even pretty funny.   He was smarter than her, that much was sure, and ridiculously well-read, but he didn’t lord it over her and listened when she talked, especially about music, he actually asked questions and wanted to know more.  He’d been more encouraging during that walk that he’d been in the entirety of the time she’d known him before.
More vulnerable too. He’d been damn close to quitting before he’d talked to her.  And then there was the way he talked about his classmates and how much potential he saw in all of them…
She was beginning to understand what Mika had seen in the guy.  Granted, Mika’s type was “alive,” but she was actually beginning to see why Koda willingly associated with him.  
They’d talked on the phone and texted more on top of that.  She’d actually found herself looking forward to it.  Chihiro was well aware she was no amazon with pneumatic boobs like Mika or Sora Iida, or even a girly fashionista like Ojiro.  She was relatively plain, her curves barely there. She was fit, but hardly a paragon of physical fitness, and she was never going to be the smartest person on the planet. Even her Quirk wasn’t that impressive without lots of Support Gear.
Having someone actually interested in her, for who she was, when there were so many other better options available was still a surprise.
“It’s a gift,” Monoma said. “I made it myself.”   He smiled, sheepishly.  “I watch a lot of tutorials on Viewtube, so I can pick up other skills. You never know when it might come in handy.  Besides, it’s more than that.  It’s a promise.”
“A promise of what?” Chihiro cast a few nervous glances around.  Someone—Ojiro probably—was probably already noticing she’d been talking with Monoma for a while now and speculating wildly. Several of Class 1-B were definitely already looking at her.  
She wasn’t exactly as embarrassed by the thought of people finding out she was dating him as she’d have thought, but she’d kind of wanted to control the message.  But he’d been so insistent on giving her the bracelet before the busses arrived…
“It’s an apology too, for my earlier behavior, but it is a promise,” Monoma said, “that I won’t kiss you again.”  He leaned in close, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Until you kiss me first.”  She was pretty sure she heard Fukidashi gasp.
Well, wasn’t that presumptuous of him?  Why was he so pretty when he was being so arrogant?  “Don’t,” she breathed, her Cords rising up reflexively, sparks dancing on the tips, “don’t you mean “unless?’”
He gave her one of those all too confident smiles, his eyes practically twinkling.  “Giving up on us so soon?”
Chihiro flushed red and couldn’t find the words to respond to that.
***
Toshi looked down at the clipboard he was carrying, nodded, and looked over to Asuka.  “That everybody?” he asked.
“It is,” Asuka told him, checking her own clipboard.  Frog-Shadow was sitting on her shoulder, looking vaguely bored.  “Everyone’s here, everyone’s luggage is accounted for, and the buses should be here in about ten minutes.”
“Good,” he said. Being Class Representative came with a lot of responsibilities, but his classmates made it easy.  None of them put him through half has much as their parents’ class had put Uncle Tenya through.  The worst he usually had to do was keep Katsumi from killing Mineta when the latter was being particularly aggravating or mediate a conflict between Aoyama and Sero.  It helped that he’d known the majority of them for years and understood their eccentricities.  
“Okay!” Toshi called out. “Everybody listen up!”  It took a moment—Sero was being especially chatty—but eventually, everyone did quiet down, with Kaminari hurriedly joining the group at the end.
“Thank you,” Asuka told them.  “Toshi and I both want you to know we expect all of you to be on your best behavior during the Training Camp.  Aizawa-Sensei wishes for us to emphasize that there will be severe consequences for misbehavior.”
“He was really scary when he said it!” Frog-Shadow piped in.  
“He was,” Toshi agreed, shuddering at the memory.  “But I know you’re all mature, responsible individuals who can be counted on not to do anything stupid.”
“How’d you manage to say that right a straight face, Toshi?” Katsumi asked, arms crossed, grinning smugly.
“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted.  “Now, any last questions?”
Mineta’s hand went up.
“That aren’t about fraternization during the camp?”
Mineta’s hand went down. Toshi breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned around and looked over to where Aizawa and Super-Ball were.  “All set,” he called out.  He heard Kana Tetsutetsu do the same.  
The two teachers walked over so they were standing in front of the two classes.  “Thanks, Class Reps!” Super-Ball said, grinning broadly. He spread his arms in an expansive gesture.  “Is everybody ready for a summer of fun?!”
Silence greeted him.
“That’s right!” 1-B’s teacher went on, as though they’d responded.  “Well that’s too bad, because Aizawa canceled all the fun.  Your friendly neighborhood bouncing ball tried to talk him out of it, but well, you try arguing with that face.  C’mon, make the face, Aizawa.”
Aizawa’s expression did not change.
“Yeah,” Super-Ball said. “That’s the one.  Seriously, though, you guys are gonna work really hard. But I know you can do it, and you’re gonna be better for it!  And we’ve got one extra surprise for you.   You want to take this one, Aizawa?”
“Right,” Aizawa said flatly. “In addition to Fujii and myself, your new Heroics teacher will also be accompanying us.”
A dozen plus conversations broke out among the two classes, as they began to speculate who that might be. Toshi had known that with Grandpa Might becoming the new principal, they were looking to fill the slot, but he hadn’t known for sure that anyone had accepted the job.  The weird thing was, neither Katsumi nor Shota seemed surprised by the news.  
“Who is it?” Rika Bondo, the blue slime girl from 1-B, asked.  
“That’s be me.”
“Uncle Kachan?!” Toshi stammered out.  Uncle Kachan had appeared almost out of nowhere, no less stealthy for his recent injury.  He was dressed comfortable, in civilian clothes, but still looked ready to take on any challenge that might come his way.  There was the slightest of limps to his step, but you had to be really looking to notice it.
But never, in a million years, would he have thought he’d be their new teacher!  
Someone had let out a girlish shriek.  “Oh, man, Monoma!” Anime Fukidashi giggled.  “You should have seen the look on your face!”
“Oh no, oh no, oh no, we’re all going to die,” Sero wailed.  He’d gone a distinctly paler shade of pink.  
“Well,” Toshi heard Izumi say, “this is unexpected.”
“This is… wow…” Haimawari trailed off.
“Guys? Seriously?  I think Monoma’s broke.  He hasn’t moved for, like, a minute.”  Fukidashi’s voice carried over all the others.  “Tetsutetsu, maybe you want to smack him?”
“I’m fine, dammit!” Monoma snapped.   All eyes were instantly on him.   He gulped nervously.  “My… apologies, Senseis.”
Uncle Kachan didn’t seem to care and Aizawa was as impassive as ever.    
“Breathe, kid,” Super-Ball said.   “He’s legally prohibited from killing you.”   He winked.  “But you’d be surprised what you can live through.”
Uncle Kachan looked over at Aizawa.  “Is he always like this?”
Aizawa just sighed. “This is actually one of his more sedate days.”
“And you didn’t think to mention that, you sorry excuse for a hobo?!”
“If I have to suffer, so do you.”
“You two do know I can hear you, right?” Super-Ball asked, though he didn’t sound offended.  “And so can they?  The impressionable children?”
Uncle Kachan sighed, then turned his attention to them.  “I’m not big on speeches.  So I’m just letting you all know now, All Might was the good cop.  I’m the bad cop.  And I’m gonna work you all like you’ve never been worked before!”
Several of the students gasped.  Toshi was pretty sure he saw Monoma look faint.  Katsumi just grinned that grin she did before she punched someone.  
Anything else was cut off as the automated buses arrived, one of which seemed a bit larger than the other, probably to accommodate Kentaro Fukui, the nearly three meters tall member of 1-B.   “About time,” Aizawa said.  “Get your luggage loaded and then get on the bus.  Class 1-A in the first bus, Class 1-B in the second.  We leave in ten, with or without you.”
***
It didn’t take long for the buses to get underway.  Aizawa was seated in the front of the bus, Uncle Katsuki in the back.  The various couples in the class were sitting together, as were the usual friends like Chihiro and Mineta and Isamu and Shota, while Asuka was sitting with their new classmate Kocho.  Their odd numbers meant that Shoji was sitting alone, though he didn’t seem bothered by it.  And, of course, Izumi was sitting with Katsumi.
Izumi turned to look at her friend.  “So,” she said, “I am assuming you knew about this?”
Katsumi smirked at that. “Oh yeah.  All Might offered him the job a couple of days after the break started.  He thought about it for maybe a day tops before he said yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
That earned her another smirk from Katsumi.  “You didn’t ask.”
A smile spread across Izumi’s face and a small giggle escaped her lips.  “That is true,” she said.  “I did not.”
“Besides,” Katsumi added, “he swore me to secrecy.”
Uncle Katsuki would certainly be a… different teacher than All Might, she was sure.  But he was Japan’s Number Four Hero, with numerous Villain captures and cases solved behind him.  The media often liked to paint him as a volatile brawler, but she knew there was far more to him than that.
Izumi nodded.  “He has a wealth of experience to offer.  I am sure he will take to the role readily.” More importantly, Izumi was glad to see that Uncle Katzuki was doing well and getting back to something approximating normal.  With traumatic injuries like he had experienced, it took a truly exceptional individual to come back from them.  But then again, her father often said that Uncle Katsuki had “more guts than sense.”  She was reasonably certain that he had not meant it was a compliment—especially as her mother had swatted him for saying it—but guts were definitely required here.
“Yeah, well…” Katsumi trailed off.  Her dear friend rarely allowed herself to be vulnerable, and even here, it was only for the briefest of moments.  “Beats having him mope around the house while he’s taking medical leave.”
Medical leave, not retirement.  That was potentially promising sounding.  “They are hopeful for a more functional prosthetic?”   Katsumi had told her that her father’s Quirk made traditional prosthetics unwieldy for long term use, but that Doctor Shield and Mei Hatsume were working on a better one.
Katsumi shrugged. “Nothing yet.  They really don’t know if he’ll ever…”  Her voice started to crack, but she was fighting it.  She so hated to show weakness in front of anyone, even her.
Izumi reached over and gave her friend’s hand a squeeze.  Katsumi returned the grip, mindful that Izumi was not as strong as she. No other words needed to be said. As always, they would have each other’s back.
“But yeah,” Katsumi went on, her tone shifting back to something more in line with her usual self, “in the meantime, he’s going to make everybody here’s life hell.”  She looked around the bus.  “Pretty sure Aoyama and Sero might die.  Maybe Monoma too.”  That caused her to snicker.  “Did you see his face?”
“I did,” Izumi said, her tone carefully neutral.  She did not wish to encourage Katsumi’s delight in the misfortunate of others, though that was probably a battle she would not win.  But Uncle Katsuki would likely be an unrelenting taskmaster, and she knew she could expect no favors or special treatment due to her friendship with Katsumi or her own limitations.
Limitations she would not have were it not for her grandfather.
No.  She could not dwell on that now.  She had learned much, but she was still deciding what to do with that information.  Izumi had not even mentioned her visit with her grandfather to her parents. Mercifully, Chihiro and Mineta had not pressed her for details, respecting her privacy.  Soon, she hoped, when she had time to grapple with the reality of it, she would tell her friends.  But for now, she needed to focus on getting stronger.  She would need all her wits about her for the camp ahead.
***
“Anxious?” Asuka asked Kocho.  Frog-Shadow was dozing on her lap.  Long rides always had that effect on her familiar.  She knew their new classmate was already friends with Toshi, Haimawari, Sero, Ojiro, and Sato, but as elected Vice-Representative and unofficial “Class Mom”, she too had a duty to reach out to her, so she’d volunteered to sit with her for the bus ride while the others paired off.  Frog-Shadow had been upset that she wasn’t going to sit next to Shoji, but her other half had to learn that, even with their increased cooperation, she couldn’t always get what she wanted.
The moth-girl shook her head.  “Yes,” she said.  “Sorry, did I just contradict myself?”  Her wings were folded around her as much as she could make them, taking up the majority of her seat.
“A bit,” Asuka told her. “But understandable.  Are you comfortable?  I don’t mind pulling up the arm rest.”
“I’m fine,” Kocho said. “Little close, but it doesn’t hurt. This is still nicer than taking the city bus.”  She gave Asuka a reassuring smile.  
Asuka flipped up the armrest anyway and Kocho let her wings spread out a small amount.  “I won’t say your anxiety is unwarranted,” she said.  The truth of others experiences and feelings was not open for debate.  “But this is very standard for the Hero Courses.  They find a few Heroes or a Hero team from outside the school, so that they can bring a fresh perspective to our training, and under our teachers’ guidance, push us to increase the strength and versatility of our Quirks and skills.  It will be exhausting… but ultimately rewarding.”
She looked down at the sleeping frog on her lap.  Nothing but peace and contentment flowed through their link.  Asuka was determined to enjoy it while she could.  It wouldn’t last long once Frog-Shadow was awake. “Though what exactly they can do with this little one, I’m not sure.”
Kocho chuckled at that. “Any idea who they got to teach this year’s then?  Or is that one of those ‘rational deceptions’ Deku and Shinso were trying to warn me about?”
“They keep it a secret,” Asuka told her.  “Though it’s not a rational deception in this case.  It’s really more of just a U.A. tradition.  They like keeping us on our toes.”
This got a nod. “Makes sense, I guess.  Any idea what they were talking about then?”
Asuka could hazard a guess. “You probably don’t have to worry about that,” she said.  “If they try to drop us off a cliff, you can fly.”
“You’re, you’re joking about that, right?” Kocho asked, dark eyes going wide.  “Tell me you’re joking!”
“Not at all,” she replied. She put a finger to the side of her beak in thought.  “I’m told it wasn’t a particularly big cliff, though.”
“I still can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” Kocho replied.
“She doesn’t joke,” Frog-Shadow said sleepily, stirring on her lap. “She’s the most boring person alive!  I’m the fun one in this relationship!”
Asuka looked down to glare at her living Quirk.  “And here I was enjoying the peace and quiet.”  She shook her head.  “But I doubt there will be any surprises like that at this Training Camp.”
***
They’d been on the road for about three hours and the anxiety in the bus had practically become a palpable thing.  They’d made two stops already for bathroom and snack breaks and Isamu was fairly certain most of his classmates were going to jump out of their skin every time. About the only people who weren’t waiting for the other shoe to drop were Kocho, who didn’t know any better, and Shinso, who didn’t seem to see Aizawa in the same way as everyone else.  Between their parents stories of school and their own experiences so far this year (Sending real—albeit reformed—Villains after them?  What?), they were all rightfully paranoid.
Granted, his parents had known Aizawa too, even if they hadn’t been his students.  They’d said he was gruff, but fair, and had actually been supportive of the work they’d done, despite them being Vigilantes.  That somehow didn’t make him any less scary.
Throughout the trip, Shinso had kept up a steady stream of talk about Heroes and recent Hero events. Isamu had nodded along politely to a lot of it, occasionally adding to the conversation, but mostly letting the smaller boy talk.  The two of them had gotten into a debate though, over whether Shoto or Gale Force was cooler, when Shinso had brought up a recent team-up the two of them had had.  
Shinso had been rather insistent that Shoto was cooler, especially because of the fast way he could take down Villains without anyone being hurt.  Isamu, on the other hand, had gone to the mat for Gale Force, liking the Hero’s larger than life personality and All Might level of cheer. It had been a friendly debate, though neither one of them was backing down from their position.
The two of them were sitting more towards the back of the bus.  Occasionally, Shinso would look back to where Ground Zero was sitting, his arms crossed, and looking vaguely irritated, occasionally smiling a very familiar smile, as though enjoying some private joke.  It was the same one Kirishima-Bakugo made before she punched something.  The Number Four Hero was their new Heroics teacher?  Ground Zero certainly had a reputation as having a hair trigger temper, but there was no denying that he was also really good at what he did.  The look on his face suggested he was going to get far too much enjoyment out of putting them through their paces.
He’d survived Kirishima-Bakugo this long.  How much worse could it be?
“Toshi!  Toshi!” Shinso piped up.  “You’ve gotta settle this!  Who’s more awesome?  Shoto or Gale Force?”
Midoriya was across the aisle from them, sitting with his girlfriend.  Sora Iida was leaning against him, absorbed in some technical manual. Midoriya was definitely making progress. Not that long ago, that much prolonged physical contact would have had him shaking like a leaf.
Isamu was hoping to get some time with his girlfriend as well, this trip.  Kana had loved the signed Godzillo statue he’d brought back for her from I-Island (He didn’t tell her he’d lost the first one) and they’d managed to see a marathon of his movies between his return and the leaving for the camp.  Hopefully, she wouldn’t be too busy wrangling her class that they couldn’t share a few moments of their limited downtime.
“Oh no,” Midoriya said quickly, “I’m not getting dragged into this.  Besides, I’m a Lemillion guy.”
“Not one of the choices,” Isamu told him, chuckling.  Leave it to Midoriya not to take sides.  
“I stand by my statement,” Midoriya told him.  
“Aw,” Shinso said, pouting, “you were supposed to agree with me!”
Midoriya just laughed. “Maybe next time, Shota.”
Before they could continue, the bus came to a stop.  Isamu checked the time on his phone. They’d been traveling a while now; it had been a little over an hour since their last stop.  They’d left the main roads behind after the second stop, taking back roads, until they’d pulled through a long stretch of wooded areas.  He was pretty sure he’d seen more than a few security cameras mostly hidden in the trees.  
He could see some kind of big building out the front of the bus window, and what looked like several smaller buildings spread across a well maintained lawn.  Beyond them, he could see more woods and maybe a lake.  
“Either of you recognize this place?” he asked Midoriya and Shinso.  “Is it an Agency?”
“I don’t know,” Shinso admitted.  “But it looks pretty cool!  Whoever owns this place has to be awesome!”
Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly, his mouth making a small o before a grin broke out across his face.  “Oh!  So that’s who they got!”  
“You’re not going to tell us, are you?” Isamu asked.
“Nope!” Midoriya said. Isamu hadn’t seen that mischievous a look in his eyes before.  “Don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
***
Katsumi looked around as the classes and teachers disembarked.  It was a big complex for sure.  Not exactly roughing it, though the woods around the buildings might hold some surprises, and one of the buildings looked like fairly utilitarian barracks.  It all looked vaguely familiar though.  She’d never been here, at least, not that she could recall, but she was sure she’d seen it somewhere.  Had Toshi shown her pictures?  She wouldn’t have put it past him.  Despite basically having Hero-stuff as the background radiation for his life, he still ate, drank, and slept it.
There were four Heroes waiting for them.  One was a man with spikey, sandy blonde hair, wearing a black bodysuit that left his arms bare, with silver boots, shoulder pads, belt, and bracers.  With him, there was a brown-haired woman in a pink costume that looked damn close to a princess dress decorated with darker pink hearts, who was even wearing a tiara.  Them, she recognized, Ravenous and Lady Lumious.  Ravenous had briefly been one of Papa’s sidekicks.  He even looked a bit like Uncle Tetsu, though they weren’t related.
The other man was blond, tall, with a costume in dark blue, with red highlights, boots, and gloves, along with small, gold pipe-like structures on his arms.  
Ah. So that’s who they got this year.
“Oh, shit,” she heard Monoma gasp.  Katsumi resisted the urge to cackle.  He was having a bad day for surprises.
“Why so down, little cousin?” the man in red and blue, the Hero called Boost Rush, Daichi Monoma, asked. He was a tall man, towering over his cousin.    
“I am the average height for my age!” Monoma snapped back.  “You could have at least told me you were going to be here!”
“And spoil the surprise?” Boost Rush asked.  He had the same arrogant, Monoma sneer all of them seemed to master.  Katsumi had to fight the urge to laugh again.   Monoma’s misfortunes were always funny. On the other hand, he hadn’t actually bothered her in months, no since his failed confession, so she could at least make an effort not to laugh at him when he could hear.
Katsumi’s eyes fell on the last of the four, a woman with light brown hair, who wore a costume in black, green, and orange.  There was more than a passing resemblance to Dad’s costume.  Her light brown hair was done up in twintails.  She had her arms crossed and was smirking.  It was an expression very similar to the one Katsumi and her dad often wore.
Katsumi, at the front of the group of students, gave her a smirk right back.  “They must be getting pretty desperate to turn to you, Old Lady.”
The woman’s expression instantly shifted to rage.  She pointed a finger at Katsumi.  “Still got a mouth on you, don’t you, Brat?  Well, we’ve got two weeks to beat it out of you.”
“You could try,” Katsumi shot back.  “Won’t you have to go to bed too early for that though?”
“Show some respect for your elders!”
“So you admit you’re old?” By now, several of her classmates and 1-B students were staring at her in open surprise.   Some, like Sero and Kaminari, had taken several steps back and away from her.  Toshi just looked mortified, while Aizawa was burying his head in his hands.  Even Lady Luminous and Ravenous looked vaguely puzzled.
“And so it begins,” Dad growled.  “Ladies, can we wrap this up?”
“I will when she takes that back.”
Dad just sighed. “Mahoro, you and I both know that’s never going to happen.  Can we just get on with it?”
Mahoro Shimano, also known as Vanish Veil, just grinned, but gave Katsumi a look.  “This isn’t over, Brat.”
Katsumi smirked right back. “Bring it, Old Lady.”
Aizawa cleared his throat. “If we’re all done?” he asked.  He didn’t wait for an answer.  “As some of you have figured out, this facility and the surrounding wilderness is a training facility used by the Rookies, a loose configuration of Pro-Heroes and Sidekicks, many of whom attended U.A. together, and of which Water Spout and Doc Clock are also members. They’ve got a varied skillset and are also some of the best trainers in the country; Agencies frequently send their new Sidekicks to them for additional instruction.  You will listen to them, you will follow their instruction, and you will not fight with them, no matter your previous or personal relationships with them.”   He gave Katsumi and Monoma an extra-long glare.  
“Now…” Aizawa went on.
He didn’t get to finish. “U.A. Hero students… think you’re pretty high and mighty, don’t you?” a voice, a girl’s voice, broke in.  Whoever it was, they weren’t one of the Rookies. There were five of them, she realized, coming out of the building.  Katsumi instantly tensed for a fight, wishing she had the gauntlets from her costume.
The seeming leader of the group took a step forward.  She was large, and powerfully built. “We’ll show you all how weak you really are.”
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